


Fortune Found

by Reecie



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 07:27:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18889957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reecie/pseuds/Reecie
Summary: After dancing the night away on the Midnight Stage, Kanji and Naoto are no closer to figuring out where their relationship stands. Will they find a way to take steps in a romantic direction? Or will one chance evening ruin everything for good?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 was originally posted as it’s own 3 part story called The Dance/Next Dance/Last Dance for my An Emperor and His Fortune anthology, but I decided to write Fortune Found as a branch off from it, so now it’s the prologue (hence the re-post). Enjoy!

Naoto followed the others to the side as Kanji took the stage. She never thought that he would be the first to volunteer to dance; she was almost certain that was going to be Teddie. But then she remembered that he had expressed an interest in dancing from the start. However, even with all of the contradictory things she already knew about Kanji, Naoto would have never pegged him as a dancer. In her mind, dancing was elegant and graceful, whereas Kanji was…not. And that wasn’t a bad thing, Naoto just wasn’t sure how his brawler nature would lend to the art of dance. On the other hand, she has seen Kanji work with a very gentle hand on his various crafts, so it was possible that dancing fell into that category. This new thought made her quite curious as she watched him prepare himself for the performance.

As soon as Rise started the music, Naoto knew that they were about to watch something enjoyable. The song Rise had chosen for him had a rock vibe to it, which suited Kanji perfectly. He started dancing and the opening was filled with punches and fist pumps. As it continued, he added stomps, kicks, and flexes to his routine. Naoto was sure that this dance wasn’t the dance Rise had taught him at all, but his heavy movements seemed to match the drums and guitar cords almost perfectly. If Kanji was anything, he was passionate; she was certain that his feelings would be received by the shadows.

When the song hit the first chorus, Naoto found herself being drawn in by Kanji’s dance. There was something about his energy that filled her with excitement. She found herself moving her body to the beat with him. Kanji’s innate passion has always been extremely infectious, but it has never been amplified to this degree before. And, as the song came up to the final chorus, Naoto couldn’t control her excitement anymore. Her feet were suddenly moving on their own as she rushed out to join Kanji on the dance floor.

“May I have this dance?” Naoto said as she cut in. Kanji looked somewhat surprised at first, but then he gave her a wide smile. They danced together fluidly, as if they had choreographed the whole thing. The truth was that she hadn’t seen Kanji since Rise had gotten them all together to propose her dancing plan weeks ago. The connection she had with him, the bond they shared, that was enough in this moment to blend their dances together seamlessly.

Their dance was nearing it’s end and Naoto found herself feeling almost sad. She truly missed spending time with all of her friends like this. She could have done without the dangerous situation, of course, but it had been too long since the last time. Naoto missed her senpais, she missed Rise, and she missed Kanji. Kanji…his strength, his hard-headedness, his bluntness. These were all things she hadn’t realized she would miss until they were gone. Naoto couldn’t help but smile as they finished their dance back to back.

“Heh. You outta breath?” Kanji asked as Naoto left him to finish the dance solo. “Dance with me again, OK?” Naoto nearly stopped dead in her tracks as butterflies exploded in the pit of her stomach. When did Kanji become so…cool? He wasn’t always like that, was he? Had it really been so long? Naoto’s head was swimming with emotions as she took her place at the side of the stage. Rise, who’s eyes never left the dance from the moment Naoto had decided to join him, leaned over to whisper in Naoto’s ear.

“You’re blushing, Naoto.” Rise giggled, clearly enjoying every second of this. At least Rise hadn’t changed. This thought dulled any embarrassment that arose from Rise’s comment. As she watched Kanji finish his dance and call his persona in an epic finale, Naoto came up with an answer she knew she didn’t have the courage to give him.

“Yes, Kanji. I would love to dance with you again.”

* * *

Kanji stood quietly off to the side, arms crossed and scowling as Naoto took her position on the Midnight Stage. Watching her prepare for her second dance reminded him how he had chickened out of joining her on stage for her first. Just as he was working up the courage to jump out there, Ted snuck in front of him and stole his thunder. But, while it would be easy to blame this all on the bear, Kanji knew that it was mostly his own insecurity that cost him the dance. This revaluation caused him to loosen up his stance and even smile a little as he watched Naoto stretch out.

‘This time will be different,’ he thought to himself as Rise started the music and Naoto began to dance.

This song was softer than her previous one; a slower, jazzy tune with a somewhat heavy beat. And, from the first few moments, Kanji was completely entranced. Naoto began with movements more akin to interpretive dance before easing in to more traditional steps, but even then there was a fluid narrative to every move she made. After a short while, the song sped up a little and Naoto just went with the flow. Each move, while different when looked at separately, fit together like strands on a loom as she expertly weaved them into a beautiful cloth.

Kanji’s face burned as his heart beat hard in his chest. He had never seen her like this before. Naoto was…sexy. There were a lot of reasons he had feelings for her: she was cool, collected, brilliant, strong, and even cute. But Kanji had never thought of her as sexy before; he rarely used that adjective in the first place. He had been exposed to Yosuke-senpai long enough to know what it meant, however, and that was exactly the right word to use to describe Naoto right now. And Kanji barely knew how to handle that.

The music sped up another time and again Naoto adjusted her dance to match. Kanji began to think that maybe he shouldn’t join her. She was looking like an absolute pro out there and he was sure he would just ruin things. His place was on the sidelines, cheering her on and being as mesmerized as the shadows she was dancing for. Just as he resigned to that thought, Naoto paused for just a second and did a beckoning motion with her finger before continuing on. It was just one moment in a long list of perfect moments that made up her dance, but it stood out to Kanji, shining bright in his mind. Who was Naoto motioning to? Was she looking right at him or was it a trick of the stage? Kanji was convinced she was gesturing to him, who else could it have been? This renewed his desire to join her out there, yet try as he might his feet refused to move. It was nearing the end of the dance now; he was going to miss his chance again.

“Oh, come on Moronji!” Rise’s voice called out from behind him. Kanji could feel her come in close to his ear to whisper.

“She’s waiting for you.”

Suddenly, Rise gave him a strong shove and Kanji found himself on stage with Naoto. Again she took his abrupt appearance completely in stride and turned her solo into a duet seamlessly. Kanji did his best to keep up, but he knew he was way out of his league here. While Naoto was fluid, Kanji was rigid and clunky. He was worried that his lack of skill would hinder her beautiful dance, but this didn’t even phase her. Naoto continued on almost as if she was enjoying his company, in spite of his awkward steps. She smiled at him whenever their faces met and he smiled back, deciding to stop thinking so much. It was over almost as suddenly as it began and Kanji took his spot back on the sidelines so Naoto could finish. He made sure to throw a glare at Rise as he walked by.

“Don’t be like that,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “You loved it.” She was right, of course, but there was no way Kanji would ever let her have the satisfaction of knowing that. Instead, he stood there quietly as the shadows melted into light around them, reliving the dance in his head over and over again.

* * *

Kanji was nervous, more nervous than he’d been in a long time. And it wasn’t the stage that Rise’s persona had suddenly turned into, it wasn’t the massive shadow that stood before him, and it wasn’t even the fact that the world’s fate rested in the hands of him and his friends once again. That final thought almost made him laugh at how commonplace it had become. No, there was only one thing in this moment that would make Kanji as anxious as he was right now and that was Naoto volunteering to dance with him in the big final dance.

As the group came together a few minutes ago to quickly decide how they were going to handle this last dance, Kanji stood quietly off to the side. He knew who he wanted to be paired with, but he also knew that she deserved a much better partner than him. Naoto was a better dancer than she probably realized and Kanji knew that she could really shine with a dance partner like Yu-senpai or Rise. So he quietly waited for everyone else to choose and to find out who would be stuck with him.

“OK, partner. How should we do this?” Yosuke-senpai asked.

“Well, Rise is supplying the music, I think she would be the best person to tell us what to do.” Yu-senpai replied, looking at Rise.

“Other than us needing to do this in pairs, it doesn’t really matter.” Rise answered. “There will be one person who has to dance alone and I think Senpai should, as the grand finale.” Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Oooo! I want to dance with Rise-senpai!” Kanami exclaimed suddenly, raising her hand and bouncing energeticly.

“Hmm, that’s not a bad thought…” Naoto said, pensive.

“What do you mean, Naoto?” Yukiko-senpai asked.

“These shadows respond to emotion, correct?” Naoto explained. “I think that we should pair up based on our gut feelings. We are all good friends, but I am sure we all have someone we really want to dance with, deep down. Like how Kanami wants to dance with Rise.”

“I think I understand what you mean.” Chie-senpai said. “I was really hoping it worked out that I got to dance with Yukiko…”

“Aw, Chie, I want to dance with you, too!’ Yukiko-senpai said cheerfully.

"That leaves just one lovely lady to dance with this lovely bear.” Teddie said in his best manly voice, looking directly at Naoto.

“No, I believe I’ll dance with Kanji.” she told him.

“Kanji!?” everyone said simultaneously.

“H-huh!?” Kanji said, shocked. “M-me? R-really?” Naoto looked around at the group as they stared at her, waiting for an explanation. She blushed and pulled her hat down low over her eyes.

“W-well, you see, when I danced with him earlier, he asked me if I-I would dance with him again.” Naoto told them. “I-I’d like to accept his invitation, that’s all.” Kanji was speechless. When he had asked her for another dance, it was in the heat of emotion that came from dancing in this crazy place. He couldn’t believe he had even said it at the time and he was even more surprised that she was actually taking him up on the offer.

“Way to go Kanji!” Yosuke-senpai said, patting him on the back. “Looks like your special brand of awkwardness finally got to her!”

“H-hey, shaddup!” Kanji growled and the group chuckled.

“Well, with that decision, that just leaves Yosuke-senpai and Teddie.” Rise said, bringing the group back on track.

“Aww, I really wanted to be with one of the girls!” Teddie whined.

“Come on, Teddie. Dancing with me isn’t so bad, is it?” Yosuke-senpai asked.

“Wait, you wanted to dance with Teddie?” Chie-senpai questioned him.

“Well, I do agree with him, I’d rather be dancing with one of you girls,” he replied thoughtfully. “But since I knew you two would want to dance together, Rise would never want to dance with me, and I actually thought Kanji would snatch up Naoto, not the other way around, I started to think that maybe dancing with Teddie wouldn’t be so bad. Team Junes, right?”

“Alllllright!” Teddie said, completely changing his tone. “The men of Junes are going to take the stage and steal all of the ladies’ hearts!”

“OK, OK, calm down a bit.” Yosuke-senpai told him. “Save that energy for the dance.”

“Great!” Rise said, clapping her hands together. “Let me explain a little about how you will know when it’s your turn…” Rise went over what part of the song we each had and in what order. Kanji and Naoto were of course first, giving him no time to prepare himself. They broke off into their pairs and the rest walked to the edge of the stage, leaving Kanji and Naoto alone to start off.

“Are you sure you want to dance with me?” Kanji asked her quietly.

“Well, it’s a bit late now…” Naoto replied mischievously. “Yes, I’m sure. Dancing with you was fun. I’m happy I get a chance to do it again.” She gave him a sweet smile and suddenly all of his worries faded away. There was no way that he could screw this up; all he had to do was dance with all of his heart and Kanji knew that being passionate was something he was actually good at. It would be even easier now that Naoto was by his side. Rise started the music and the pair walked towards center stage.

“Here goes, damn it!” Kanji said, stretching out a bit. “I’m gonna slam everything into this last dance!” Their dance began quickly. The song Rise had chosen had a ton of energy, which Kanji used as ammunition for his dance. They started off dancing in their own styles: Kanji throwing out quick, heavy moves while Naoto performed her elegant, flowing steps as beautifully as she always did. But something happened rather quickly and suddenly they were completely in-sync, not only in timing but in moves as well. Each motion still had their own personal flare, but there was no doubt that they matched. Kanji wasn’t sure how it happened; was he copying her or was she copying him? All he knew was that the moves just came to him, like his body was acting on it’s own. It was as if their styles had fused into it’s own kind of dance, made up of parts of both of them. Kanji knew he had taken some fluid steps from Naoto and he could’ve sworn he saw her throw her arms up into a flex once or twice.

“I leave the rest to you, Senpai!” Naoto said as their part came to an end much too quickly. They walked off stage together, Yukiko-senpai and Chie-senpai taking their place. They were both breathing heavily from the dance and they wore matching smiles that stretched from ear to ear.

“We got this,” Kanji said. “That thing is going down!”

“If the others have half as much fun as I just did, then we will have no trouble at all.” Naoto told him. Kanji was grinning so much that his cheeks were starting to hurt, but he didn’t care. Here he was, battling monsters bent on world destruction, and all he cared about was that he had gotten to dance with Naoto for a third time and she seemed to have enjoyed it just as much as he had. The two watched as their friends all took their turns dancing and then joined them on the side. Finally, it came to Yu-senpai’s dance at a slow bit of the song. After a few moments of him dancing with Rise and Kanami, there was a big swell in the tempo. Without even thinking, the entire group ran out onto stage behind Yu-senpai as he danced, dancing and cheering along. When the song finally ended, Yu-senpai summoned a persona that Kanji knew he had seen at least once before, though he couldn’t quite place when. The large shadow cried out and they knew that they had won.

* * *

After the LMB festival finally came to a close, the Investigation Team, Kanamin Kitchen, and the Dojimas were all in the back dressing room. Takura Productions had provided a nice spread of food and drinks for them to enjoy while they mingled. This was the first time that the Kitchen girls had gotten a chance to talk to everyone and they were taking full advantage of it. Tomoe, Chie-senpai, and Yukiko-senpai were all laughing together in one corner, Nanako was bouncing energeticly between Kanami, Yu-senpai and her father, Yosuke-senpai was chatting with Rise and Tamami while trying to keep Teddie in line, Naoto was having a quiet conversation with Sumomo, and Kanji found himself talking with Nozomi. She, like the other idols he had spoken to so far, was very interested in his knitted dolls. Kanji was use to people being surprised when he revealed his hobby and he had come to enjoy the attention he often received from it. But, even though his focus was on whomever he was speaking to at the time, Kanji’s eye rarely left Naoto.

Kanji knew that her wanting to dance with him meant something, he just couldn’t sort out what. Was it really just because he had asked her for another dance or was there something more? Kanji tried to brush the thought off as wishful thinking, but something she had said kept pulling it back into his mind:

'I think that we should pair up based on our gut feelings…I am sure we all have someone we really want to dance with, deep down.’

Naoto didn’t just want to humor him, she really wanted to dance with him. Was his dance powerful enough to affect her as well? Kanji knew Naoto’s dance had worked on him; he still couldn’t think about her second dance without getting flushed. But that brought up another dilemma: perhaps any feelings they were having for each other were artificial? Something about that stage amplified emotions and they could have fallen under its spell. Even so, Kanji knew he cared for her, he always has. So maybe he was lucky enough to have her care about him, even just for a moment. And he was more than happy with that.

“Nozomi?” Tamami called. “Can you come here a sec?”

“O-OK.” Nozomi replied. “Please excuse me.” Kanji nodded as she walked away, happy to have a moment alone to his thoughts. The moment didn’t last long, however, because Naoto noticed the vacancy and was heading over to him. Kanji’s heart leaped up into his throat.

“Hello Kanji.” she said once she was in front of him.

“H-hey Naoto.” They stood in awkward silence for what seemed like ages. Kanji was suddenly overcome with the need to tell her everything and yet he was too scared to actually do so.

“So,” Naoto finally said. “It was kind of odd seeing you with blond hair again. Will you be keeping it that way?”

“Nah, probably not.” Kanji told her, tugging at a strand of his hair. “As much as I’m dreading having to go through the 'growing out’ phase again, I like my natural color. Why? Do you like it like this?”

“O-oh! No, not necessarily!” Naoto said, somewhat surprised by his question. “I was more curious about your opinion on it. It is your hair, after all.” Kanji was sure he saw her blush a little, which made him smile. They were quiet once more, neither sure what to say next.

“I have to be leaving soon.” Naoto told him. “I need to look into the other cases that may be related to what we did here today.”

“Ya mean that Mass Leopard Ski thing?”

“Mass Lethargy Syndrome, yes.” Naoto corrected, chuckling at his mispronunciation. “I want to see if I was correct in thinking that it was tied to the Midnight Stage.”

“Oh.” Kanji suddenly felt very sad. He knew Naoto worked hard at her job and she took a lot of pride in it. But that also meant she was rarely in Inaba. This whole situation had allowed him to spend a lot of time with her and he didn’t want her to leave yet. He only wished he had a reason to get her to stay.

“Kanji-”

“Naoto, I-” They both stopped short as they spoke in unison and laughed. “You first.”

“OK.” Naoto said, taking a deep breath. “I just wanted to let you know that I am so happy that I got to spend so much time with you and the others and that I truly miss all of you. I know my life keeps me away, but I look forward to coming back home to Inaba and seeing everyone when I can. And there is one thing that this whole experience has made me realize: I miss you. I don’t know if it’s just this place and what happened to us, but seeing you again, Kanji…I don’t know what it means or even what I’m trying to say, but I am happy I got to dance with you and I will miss you when I leave.” Kanji’s stomach exploded into butterflies and his face went crimson.

“N-Naoto, I-I don’t know what to say,” he managed to get out, his voice shaky. “I’m happy, too. And I’ll miss you, too. I hope your busy life brings you back to Inaba soon.”

“You know, you guys are gonna see each other in a few days, at my show, right?” Rise said, popping up from seemingly nowhere. Kanji and Naoto were both startled and embarrassed, and Naoto’s face reddened to match Kanji’s. Rise smiled knowingly before disappearing as quickly as she came and Kanji wondered if she did these things on purpose.

“OK then, I guess I’ll be back in a few days.” Naoto said, her embarrassment easing into laughter.

“So I guess I’ll see you then.” Kanji said. Naoto nodded and began to walk away, but something in Kanji took over and he called back out to her. “Naoto, wait! Um…the next time you’re in town…you know, after this next time…do ya think that, um…maybe you can…call me first?” Naoto looked at him, confused. Kanji swallowed, forcing out the last few words he needed to say. “I-I was thinking that we could, you know, hang out for a while? Just us?”

“Oh.” Naoto pulled at her hat slightly and Kanji began to worry. Had he gone to far? Maybe he had read her intention wrong. He couldn’t believe how stupid he was. He was about to retract his statement when she finally said, “Yes, I think I would like that.” She smiled at him and he could have died right then and there. Kanji wanted to cheer and celebrate his bravery, but he held it together long enough to smile back as she walked over to the rest of the group to say goodbye. For the first time since they met, it finally seemed like Naoto had an interest in him. He immediately began planing what they would do together; he even considered asking Yu-senpai for help. Kanji had been waiting a long time for this opportunity and he didn’t want to screw it up. But that conversation would have to wait; the group was calling him over for one last goodbye before they finally left this adventure behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

A crisp breeze blew through the quiet streets of Inaba's shopping district, sending a cold chill through the open door of Tatsumi Textiles. Kanji was setting up his new batch of knitted dolls in the shop's window and he shivered as the cold cut through his thin, long sleeved shirt. A few months had passed since the events at the LMB Festival and things had been quiet in his little town. It was quieter than he would have liked however; he hadn't heard from Naoto in that time either. He knew she was busy and he knew she would reach out to him in her own time, but that didn't stop him from worrying more with each passing day. Kanji wondered if he had made the right choice, asking Naoto for some “alone time”. She had agreed to it at the time, but maybe the weeks away caused her to change her mind? Kanji shook the thought from his mind.

'She's just busy,' he told himself. 'She's just dealing with that...apathy thing. She's saving people, like we always do.' Kanji jumped as his phone buzzed loudly, pulling him out of his head. He looked at his phone; it was a text message...from Naoto.

_HELLO. ARE YOU AVAILABLE?_

Kanji's hands shook as he quickly typed out a response.

_Yes! I'm at the shop, if you want to stop by._

She didn't answer, but after a few minutes there was a soft knock at the door. Kanji turned around to see Naoto standing in the doorway.

“O-oh! N-Naoto!” Kanji exclaimed.

“I'm sorry, did I startle you?” Naoto asked, walking into the shop. “I was pretty close to the shopping district when I texted, so...”

“N-no! It's totally fine!” Kanji told her, smiling wide. “I'm just...I'm so happy to see you.”

“O-oh! That's good.” Naoto blushed, looking down at her feet. She noticed the pile of dolls sitting in the window. “Are you working? I can come back another time...”

“No! I'm pretty much done, just give me a sec...” Kanji put the last of the dolls on display and then ran back to find his mom to tell her he was going out. When he returned, Naoto was looking at one of his dolls with interest. Kanji smiled, proud of making something that could put such a cute look on her face.

“Do you want one?” Kanji asked, causing her to jump a little.

“No, I was just admiring them.” Naoto replied, setting it back down. “You are quite good at this sort of thing. I'm not sure if I've ever told you that before.”

“Y-yeah? Thanks.” Kanji said, running his hand through his hair. He was nervous, even though he had no reason to be. He had gone over this day in his head a million times, but now it was suddenly here and he had no idea what to do.

“So...?” Naoto said after a long moment of silence.

“O-oh! R-right!” Kanji stammered, embarrassed. “A-are you hungry? We could go over to Aiya.”

“That sounds great.” Naoto replied with a grin. They began walking up the street.

“So...how have you been?” Kanji asked.

“I have been well,” she told him. “I wrapped up as many of the loose ends in the apathy case as I could, but you can imagine that, with the strangeness of the truth in the case, I couldn't explain everything. But the police were happy with it and it helped that nobody died this time.”

“That's always a good thing. Does that mean you'll be home for a while?”

“Yes. I will be taking a break for a while to catch up on my studies. And, more importantly, to spend time with you and all of our friends.” Kanji nearly danced with joy. Naoto was not only staying in Inaba indefinitely, but she was staying to spend time with him. And their friends of course, but he chose to ignore that part for now.

“That's awesome! I can't wait to see ya at school again!”

“How about you?” Naoto asked. “How have you been?”

“I've been OK. Going to school, helping Ma at the shop, and I've even been learnin' how to dye. I still suck at it, but I'm not as bad as when I started.”

“That's good. Speaking of dye, your hair seems to have grown back in nicely since LMB.”

“Yeah, but Yosuke-senpai had a whole new set of jokes waiting for me during those first couple of weeks...” They walked into the restaurant and found a table. Their schoolmate, Aika, wasn't there, which Kanji was secretly happy for. He didn't think she would have bothered them, but this meant there wasn't even the opportunity. They had just ordered and were settling into a nice conversation when someone rushed into the restaurant and squeed.

“I knew it!”

Kanji's heart dropped. He knew that voice all too well. Looking towards the entrance he saw their good friend Rise, who was making a beeline for their table.

“I knew I saw you guys walk by! Naoto!” Rise hugged her from behind, nearly knocking the chair over. “Why didn't you tell anyone that you were in town!? Or, should I say, anyone else? Wait a minute,” Rise stopped suddenly and her eyes went wide. “Are you guys on a –”

“What!?” they said in unison. Kanji's face got hot and Naoto stared at the table. He didn't know what to say. He wanted it to be a date, more than anything. But he had never actually asked her out on one. Luckily Naoto spoke before he needed to figure it out, but her response couldn't have been worse.

“C-can't I just enjoy a dinner alone with my friend?” Friend. There they were: her true feelings. Kanji felt stupid for thinking that maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way he did. Why in the world would a girl like her fall for a guy like him? But Kanji buried those feelings for now.

“Y-yeah.” Kanji said, trying to feign agreement, an act he was sure he had failed. “She just happened to stop by and was hungry. That's all.”

“Oooook, if you say so...” Rise sounded skeptical, but thankfully she dropped the subject. “Well, I was on my way somewhere, so I'll leave you two be. But you better call me later and set up a gathering with the team!”

“Of course.” Naoto replied and they waved as she left. Once they were alone again, the conversation dried up almost completely. They sat in awkward silence as they ate; Kanji didn't feel much like talking. He would recover eventually, but for now he wanted to finish up this meal as fast as possible. He paid for their meals quickly and dashed out the door, Naoto trailing behind.

“It's still early.” she told him. “Was there anything else you wanted to do?”

“No, I think I'll just head home.” Kanji replied curtly. “I have...stuff. I-I'll see ya later, OK?”

“Oh. OK.” Naoto was taken aback by his response, but she allowed him to leave without question. She had an idea what had caused his sudden change in mood. What she didn't know was how she was going to repair it. Naoto started her walk home with a lot of things to think about.

* * *

 

Naoto walked slowly through the shopping district, her mind racing. She found herself in a bit of a conundrum. She felt somewhat guilty about what she had said to Rise the other day. From the moment she had insisted that they weren't on a date and that they were “just friends”, Naoto saw Kanji's face drop. But she had told Rise the truth, hadn't she? She and Kanji were just friends, or at least she thought they were. She wasn't so sure anymore. She had been thinking about him more and more ever since the LMB Festival, and him asking to spend time with her alone sure sounded like a date, even though he never called it one. She wasn't sure what any of these feelings meant or what to do about them, and the fact that Kanji was probably just as lost as she was wouldn't help matters any. But no matter what she decided to do, one thing was for certain: she needed to patch things up with Kanji before she lost the chance to make a choice in the first place.

As she headed up to Tatsumi Textiles, an advertisement on the job board caught her eye. It was an announcement about an event happening a few towns over that coming Sunday. Naoto smiled to herself; this was perfect. She took a moment to jot down the information in her notebook before continuing up the street. When she came to the shop, she peaked in cautiously. Kanji was no where to be seen, but his mother sat behind the counter. She smiled sweetly at Naoto as she stepped fully into the shop.

“Hello Naoto dear. Are you here for Kanji?”

“Yes ma'am.” Naoto replied. “He's not expecting me, so it's OK if he's not here...”

“No, no, he's here. He's just in his room working on something, you know how he is. You can go back if you want.”

“Thank you.” Naoto walked behind the shop into Kanji's living area. She navigated the hallway till she came to his open door. His back was to her and he had a pile of multicolored yarn on his lap. Naoto knocked softly on the door frame and he turned. He had some knitting needles in his hands and the pile in his lap seemed to be a blanket.

“O-oh! Naoto!W-what are you doing here?” Kanji said, clearly surprised.

“I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?”

“N-no! O-of course not! I just wasn't expecting to see you.” He gave her a warm smile. Naoto relaxed a little; it seemed as if she hadn't done too much damage. Kanji had always been a resilient one.

“I'm here because, well...b-because I wanted to know if you had any plans this Sunday.”

“Sunday?” Kanji considered for a moment. “N-no, I think I'm free.”

“Good! And you have a scooter now, right?”

“Yeah, got it a few months ago.”

“OK, then I'll see you Sunday.” Naoto turned to leave.

“Naoto, wait!” Kanji stood up to follow her, but he got caught up in the blanket on his lap and he fell over into a heap of yarn on the floor.

“Are you OK?” Naoto turned back into the room.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Kanji replied, picking himself back up. His face was bright red. “I just wanted to know where are we going on Sunday.”

“I think I will keep that a surprise.” Naoto replied. “You'll just have to trust me, OK?”

“O-oh! O-of course!” Kanji told her, shocked by the request. Naoto waved and left him to clean up the mess he had made. After bidding his mother a farewell, Naoto returned home to start preparations for Sunday.

* * *

 

Kanji was grateful for the warm day as he zoomed along on his scooter, following Naoto. He still had no idea where she was leading him, and he had never been the way they were headed before, but he trusted her enough not to question it. He was more than content with just being able to spend time with her, no matter where they ended up. Eventually they came to a little town and parked their scooters in front of a large building with a sign that read “Craft and Arts Show” in big read letters. Kanji couldn't hide his happiness as they removed their helmets.

“I've heard about this show, I just never wanted to ride out here by myself.” Kanji told her. “I can't believe this is where you wanted to take me!”

“I knew it would be somewhere you would like to go when I saw the flier.” Naoto explained as they walked to the front doors. “I thought this would be a nice event for us to visit together.”

“Well alright!” Kanji said with his normal enthusiasm. He opened the door for her and they journeyed inside. The two buzzed around the fair, stopping at every single stall. Kanji touched everything; he admired every piece of artwork, swapped ideas with other knitters, and he even picked up a few new patterns to try out in the future. There were also quite a few stalls that piqued Naoto's interest as well, offering crafts based on tech or clockwork pieces. After a few hours, they stopped at small concession stand for some ice cream and sat at one of the provided tables.

“Thanks for inviting me out here today,” Kanji said. “I just hope you're having as much fun as I am.”

“I am, so don't worry.” Naoto replied with a reassuring smile. “You might not think so, but I do enjoy spending time with you.” Not knowing what to say after that, the conversation fell into silence. But it was a comfortable silence; Kanji was happy to be there. It took some effort not to stare at her as they ate.

“Kanji?” Naoto said after a while. “I need to...I need to tell you something.”

“O-oh?” Kanji's comfortable feeling was immediately ruined. “W-what is it?”

“I had a...motive for inviting you out here today. I wanted to do it as an apology for the other day. I don't believe my reaction to Rise was very fair to you. But, at the same time, I don't know of her deduction was entirely correct either. Do you really think we are at the point where we are able to admit that we are 'dating'?”

“W-well, um...” Kanji didn't know how to answer her. As much as he wanted to tell the world that they were dating, he knew they weren't anywhere near that point yet. Kanji sighed and shook his head.

“There is one thing I do know, however.” Naoto continued. “I hope you will accept my offer to spend more time together and see where that goes. No promises that it _will_ go anywhere, but we would be together, which would be the whole point correct?” Kanji considered her proposal for a moment.

“So, we're not dating, but we're still going to hang out together?” Naoto nodded. “Sounds like a good plan to me!” Naoto smiled, seeming relieved. Kanji smiled back, happy that they had finally come to a solid decision about where they stood. And he was happy with any solution that meant more time with Naoto. “Come on, it'll be dark soon. We should hit up any stalls we want to see again before we have to go.” They finished up their ice cream and headed back into the fair, both excited about the start of the next stage in their relationship.

* * *

 

A few weeks passed and things were going as smooth as they could be. Kanji and Naoto hadn't brought up their relationship since the day at the craft show, but there hadn't been a need to. In between class and hanging out with the I.T. members that were still in Inaba, they made sure to find time to see each other alone. More often than not they just studied together at one of their houses, but it was better than nothing. They were slowly opening up to each other, talking about their families and childhoods. Soon, they knew more about each other than anyone else among their friends. They found themselves in a comfortable routine that they were both happy with. One Saturday afternoon, they had the rare opportunity to spend time alone at Junes. Both Yosuke-senpai and Teddie were off of work and doing other things, Yukiko-senpai was working at the Inn, Chie-senpai was too busy studying to be out and about, and Rise was once again out of town for work. There was very little chance that they would be interrupted as they searched for a table on the crowded roof of Junes.

“Over there!” Kanji exclaimed, spying a free table over the heads of the people gathered around. The two made a beeline for it before it could be snatched up. “Turns out my height is good for something! You hold the table and I'll go get us some beefsteaks. Sound good?”

“Yes, thank you.” Naoto replied, taking a seat. Kanji nodded and disappeared into the crowd. Naoto watched the people as they milled about, deep in their own conversations. She found herself spacing out, mind wondering, not landing on any specific thoughts. Naoto was snapped back into reality suddenly by someone sitting at her table that wasn't Kanji. He was a boy about her age and wearing a different school uniform. But, in spite of that and with her wearing her usual male version of the Yasogami uniform, he still somehow knew she was a girl because he immediately started to hit on her.

“Hey, what's a cute girl like you doing sitting all alone?” he asked, his voice dripping with sleaze. Naoto groaned.

“I am allowed to sit in whatever company I wish to and in yours is not one of them.”

“Aw, come on!” the boy pouted. “Let me buy you lunch, I'll show you a good time.” He was being uncomfortably aggressive, but it wasn't anything Naoto couldn't handle. That didn't mean she liked it much, however.

“Thank you for your...kind offer, but I am not as alone as you seem to think I am.” Naoto explained calmly. “I am actually here with someone and he is already purchasing us some food.”

“Well, I think you should ditch that loser and come with me!” His voice was almost angry, which was starting to make Naoto mad herself. This boy, whom hadn't even shared his name yet, had no right to speak to her that way, nor did he have any right to speak about Kanji that way. Just as she was about to say as much, a long shadow fell over the table as someone walked up to it.

“Hey, buddy, whatcha think you're doing!?” Kanji growled, setting their food down on the table. Naoto smiled; even though he had softened his image over the last year, Kanji could still be an imposing presence when he wanted to be.

“This nerd? _This_ is who you're with?” the boy said mockingly.

“Ya, what of it?” Kanji glared down at him before picking the boy up by the collar and lifting him out of the seat. “Git yer ass out of my seat and go home!”

“Hey, HEY! Put me down!” the boy whined until his feet were on the ground and Kanji let him go. “You are going to regret that, you bitch!” He ran off.

“Eh, get bent!” Kanji called after him and then turned to Naoto. “You OK?”

“Yeah, I've dealt with tougher suspects.” Naoto replied smugly. “But I won't say that I wasn't glad you came and saved me some of the headache of dealing with him myself.”

“Not a problem.” Kanji smiled, proud. “OK, let's chow down!”

“Right!” They started eating, nearly forgetting the incident ever happened. Kanji and Naoto found themselves deep in conversation, causing them to stay at Junes until the shop closed up for the evening. With the sun already set but neither wanting the conversation to end, the two headed out towards Kanji's for some tea. Along the way, they found themselves on a dark, empty road. It was a road they had both traveled plenty of times, but not often in the dark so they stood a little closer together than they normally would. Kanji suppressed the urge to throw his arm over Naoto; he wasn't so sure how she would take it. Suddenly, Naoto stopped walking.

“Hmm?” Kanji stopped and looked at her.

“Shh. Do you hear something?” They looked around, straining their eyes against the dark. “Someone's there...” Out of the dark came a figure and Kanji took up a more defensive stance, putting himself as far between Naoto and the figure as he could without offending her; he knew full well she could take care of herself but that wasn't going to stop him from protecting her. Naoto gasped as the figure became clearer.

“You!” she exclaimed, recognizing the boy from Junes earlier today.

“What the hell do you want!” Kanji demanded.

“Hey, you watch yer mouth!” he threatened. “I told you that you were going to regret blowing me off!” Sounds of footsteps rang out around them. Looking around, Naoto counted at least six boys, all wearing matching school uniforms as the first one. They started to form a tight circle, blocking any possible escape route. A one of the members even held a baseball bat. The gang was clearly looking for a fight.

“Naoto?” Kanji said, noticing her stern look. “Ya know I'm always down for a rumble, but I've been tryin'...” Naoto shook her head.

“No, I believe this is one time where you have no choice.” she told him. “Sometimes, you just have to fight.”

“Well, if you insist...” Kanji replied, giving her an evil grin. He really had been trying to stay out of fights, but Naoto knew that fire still burned in his belly. “This is your last chance to walk away, you don't know who yer messing with.”

“Yo, Seiichi, _this_ is the guy you had trouble with?” one of the punks said to the first boy.

“Hey, we were at Junes, I'm not stupid!” Seiichi replied. “He's gonna get his ass beat now, though!” A murmur ran through the group and they slowly began to move closer.

“Bad choice.” Kanji moved suddenly, taking the nearest thug off guard with a strong punch to his jaw, dropping him immediately. Naoto followed his lead, sweeping the leg of another, sending him to the ground and giving him a swift kick to the ribs. The gang quickly got over their initial surprise and one of them grappled Naoto from behind. They were underestimating her due to her small stature, but what they didn't know was that she was very good at using her attacker's strength against them. Thinking quickly, she threw her head back and bashed her assailant in the nose. As soon as he released her, she turned and kneed him in the stomach. The punk doubled over and fell to the ground, and Naoto prepared for the next attacker.

The thugs were far more reluctant to attack Kanji after his first punch. He couldn't help but smile; he had missed the rush of a good brawl. He eyed one of punks, yelling loudly as he shoulder charged him into the building behind him. The boy slumped to the ground and Kanji turned towards the next hooligan; it was Seiichi, who had hit on Naoto and started everything. He decided to mess with him a bit before he pummeled him.

The last delinquent who stood against Naoto held a bat in his hand, which he was dropping in and out of his other hand menacingly. She was waiting for an opening when he suddenly charged at her. Naoto dodged out of the way, but she was barely too slow and took a hit to the back that sent her sprawling. She was sure he was about to strike again, so she was starting to brace herself when she heard a loud thud from Kanji's direction. She looked up to see him walking away from a thug on the ground and towards Seiichi. Unfortunately, so did the punk with the bat.

“Ah, thanks for the workout. It's been a little while since I've been able to beat the crap out of little shits like you.” Kanji told him, cracking his knuckles. Seiichi stood strong, but his eyes betrayed him. “Standing your ground, huh? Way to be a man! A stupid man, but still a man.” Kanji brought his fist back, ready to strike.

“Kanji! Look out!” Naoto called. Kanji turned to see a delinquent with a bat coming at him. He swung at him, but Kanji caught it and pulled the bat from his hand, booting him to the ground. With bat in hand, Kanji turned to the last boy standing. But it was clear that this fight was over; Seiichi had run over to his friend by the wall and was pulling him off the ground clumsily. The gang members who were still conscious were running down the street.

“Yeah, that's what you get!” Kanji yelled after them, dropping the bat. He turned to see Naoto on the ground and his spirits dropped. He rushed over to her. “Naoto! Are you OK? Are you hurt!?”

“No, no, I'm fine. Really.” Naoto replied.

“Thanks for the call out there.”

“Of course, I wasn't about to let him bash you over the head with a baseball bat.” Naoto rolled over onto her back. “That was my first real brawl. I feel like I've finally been initiated into Club Kanji.” Kanji chuckled.

“Well, I could have let you in a lot sooner if you woulda just asked.” Kanji reached out his hand to her. “Come on, let's get back to my house before someone finds us here and starts asking questions.” Naoto took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. But Kanji pulled a little too hard and she fell into him. Kanji's heart immediately jumped up into his throat and time seemed to slow down. Naoto didn't back away, instead she looked up at him with flushed cheeks. They stood there, holding each other, for a long moment as they both tried to remember to breathe. Suddenly, Kanji was overcome by a wave of emotion and found his body moving on its own as he leaned down to kiss her. To his surprise, Naoto rose up as far as she could to meet his lips as well. As the kiss ended, he backed his head away and looked down at her. His heart was pounding and everything inside of him was screaming for him to kiss her again. Naoto must have felt the same, because she reached up and forcefully pulled him back down to her lips again. She kissed him long and hard, and they were both breathing heavily when she finally let him go. Kanji grabbed her hand and started leading her towards his home, stopping for more kisses along the way.

* * *

 

Neither of them spoke as they quietly snuck into Kanji's home, careful not to disturb his mom. Kanji held Naoto's hand, guiding her to his room and shutting the door behind them. Naoto was overcome with emotion as every feeling she had felt since the summer welled up inside of her and overflowed. She wasn't even sure where it was all coming from as it consumed her and she reveled in the feeling. Within moments of the door closing, Naoto lunged forward into Kanji's embrace.

Naoto had to stand on her tippy-toes to reach him, in spite of him leaning down. Their lips met again, and this time there was a fierceness behind it. Kanji's lips were soft and warm; Naoto found herself wanting to kiss him deeper, throwing her arms over his shoulders and digging her hands into his hair. Kanji put his arms around her, propping her up and pulling her closer to him. Naoto's stomach exploded with excitement at how close they were. She delighted in every sensation; from the coolness of the stud in his nose against hers to the smell of the products he used in his hair. At one point, she felt Kanji's tongue push gently past her lips. After she got over the initial shock, Naoto opened her mouth and met her tongue with his. There was a bit of awkwardness at first as their inexperience shone through, but they quickly figured it out together, finding their own rhythm.

Naoto started to put more weight on Kanji, feeling fatigued from being on her toes. Kanji noticed this, easing her over to the bed, only letting his lips leave hers once she sat down. As soon as he joined her on the bed, she put her hand behind his head and pulled him into another kiss. Her nose hit his glasses, setting them askew. Naoto chuckled as she removed them and set them on the table next to her. When she turned back, Kanji had unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the yellow tank top beneath. Naoto's heart fluttered; she had seen him in a tank top before, but she had never really looked at him “this way”. Without thinking about it, Naoto leaned forward, slipping her hand under his button-up and sliding it off his shoulder. Kanji watched her cautiously as she did the same to the other. He helped her mission along by taking the shirt off completely and dropping it on the floor. Naoto's stomach leapt into her throat as she ran her hand down his arm. She knew Kanji was muscular; what she hadn't known was that she cared. Kanji put a hand on her cheek gently. Naoto leaned into it and he kissed her passionately. She kissed him back, putting a hand on his chest. She could feel his pecks through the shirt and she gripped the cloth tightly. She wanted to touch his skin, feel his warmth, his strength, with her own hands.

As their kisses became more sensual, Naoto slid her hand gingerly under Kanji's tank top. His skin was soft and smooth, and the shirt quickly found it's way to the floor as well. After dropping it, Kanji seemed to gather up enough courage to reach for the top button of her uniform, only to hesitate just before reaching it. Naoto quickly lunged forward and kissed him, which pushed him over the edge. Kanji began furiously unbuttoning her top. The next few moments flew by in a blur and they both found themselves in their underwear, the pile on the floor growing.

Naoto was too caught up in the moment to notice how little clothes she was wearing. To be honest, she was more enamored by how little clothes _Kanji_ was wearing. He seemed have recovered from his hesitation, taking control by leaning in for a kiss and gently pushing her back onto the bed. Naoto put her arms around him and pulled him against her, wanting to feel as much of his body as she could. She noticed Kanji's hands start shifting, obviously going for the clasp on her bra. It only took him a moment to unlatch it, his dexterous crafter's hands coming in good use. He carefully slid it off with no resistance from Naoto.

Naoto sat there, fully exposed, for a few long moments as Kanji took in the sight of her. He looked awestruck: his eyes were wide, his cheeks flushed, and he swallowed hard. He stared for almost too long, as a twinge of embarrassment spiked in the pit of Naoto stomach. But it only lasted for a second; just as she started to raise her hands to cover herself, Kanji reached out and grabbed her breast softly. He squeezed a little, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do. Naoto scrunched up her nose, not use to the feeling. Luckily, it was far from unpleasant. As he experimented, his hand brushed her nipple, which sent a shock of pleasure through her body. She bit her bottom lip, moaning softly. Kanji's eyes lit up, clearly smitten by the noise. With a mischievous grin, he took her nipple between his fingers and pinched.

Naoto arched her back, tossing her head back as she let out a wail of pleasure. Having found a direction, Kanji continued to pinch and rub her nipple, now hard from the attention. His other hand found its way to her other breast, which he was now caressing gently. She whimpered again, louder this time. The feeling was intense; her whole body tingled and her groin throbbed. Kanji leaned low over her, kissing her deeply. This muffled her noises, but she made them nonetheless. After a moment, he backed off, but he had a devious glint in his eye. Kanji had full control of her; she was unsure as to where this confidence had come from. His usual awkwardness was no where to be found, but this Kanji wasn't completely unfamiliar to her. This boldness was what she saw in him whenever he fought shadows in the other world and even when he danced on the Midnight Stage. It was arousing; Naoto was use to being in control during her everyday life. Being dominated stimulated her more than she ever thought it would.

Kanji slid down her body, kissing her cheek, neck, and collar bone as he went. When his lips met her nipple, he kissed it softly before he began sucking it. Naoto groaned loudly, grabbing his hair with both hands. It was warm, wet, exhilarating. He sucked and nipped at her, and he did well splitting his attention between both of her breasts. Naoto was in such ecstasy that she could hardly think straight. Kanji must've been enjoying himself as well; he attacked her feverishly and Naoto could feel his manhood growing, pressing against her leg. When he finally sat back up she could see it, straining against his boxers, yearning to escape. And she was overcome by the urge to liberate it.

Naoto sat up, sliding herself out from under him. Kanji sat back, watching her with interest as she reached for the opening in the front of his underwear. His penis loosed easily from them and Kanji moaned in satisfaction as she grabbed it. It was large, but its size seemed to suit him, considering his stature. His shaft was warm and leathery, the tip was spongy and soft, and it twitched in her hand as she ran it up and down. Kanji was far quieter than she was, but the enjoyment was clear on his face. Naoto experimented with speed and pressure, as well as switching between stroking the shaft and teasing the tip. Anytime she heard him groan or his breath hitch, she repeated her last motion for longer before moving on.

After a minute or so, his tip became wet with pre-cum. Naoto ran her fingers over it; it was sticky but it also made his cock slicker, allowing her hand to glide over it more easily. She worked faster and faster, relishing every sound and face he made. As much as she loved when Kanji had played with her breasts, she some how loved pleasuring him even more. The idea that she could make someone feel as amazing as she was making him feel right now...But it wasn't just someone, it was Kanji: her fellow I.T. member, her battle partner, her best friend. And that made her enjoyment that much sweeter.

“N-Naoto...I-I'm gonna...” Kanji gasped and Naoto was thrilled. She wanted to bring him to that ending; she was excited by the thought of it. But she could also feel her vagina tremble, begging to be filled by the formidable cock she currently held in her hand. She was craving a sensation she had never felt before. The thought caused her to hesitate for just a moment, which Kanji used to escape her grip and pounce.

In a few swift moves, Naoto found herself on her back again, Kanji leaning on his hands above her. His hair was mussed, he was breathing heavily, and he had a playful smile plastered across his goofy face. Naoto reached up, grabbed the back of his neck, and pulled him down to kiss him. As she did so, Kanji shifted his weight to one side, freeing a hand, which he slipped into her panties. Naoto gasped in surprise. He made a face as he felt around; female genitalia was clearly unknown territory for him. But even his clumsy attempts felt amazing and had her moaning in delight. Her pussy was wet and slick, allowing his fingers to slide in and out of her opening with ease. He only probed shallowly, unsure of how deep he should go. One time, upon exiting, he decided to explore a little higher, accidentally discovering her clitoris. Naoto squeaked as an intense sensation of pleasure exploded through her body. Kanji began to rub her clit gently, using her reactions as a gauge. She could hardly take it as her entire lower half pulsed and tightened. She clawed at his back with one hand and had easy access to his cock with the other, which she grabbed for greedily. He paused for a moment as she touched him, catching his breath.

The two continued on like that for a while; playing, teasing, learning. Naoto felt as if she was about to burst just when Kanji stopped and withdrew his hand. She let him go as he sat back and began to slowly remove her panties. He stood up from the bed and took off his boxers as well. She watched him curiously as he knelt down and pulled a box out from under his bed. He removed a condom from the box before replacing it. She couldn't help but wonder if he had gotten that from one of their senpais. Kanji struggled with it for a bit before finally sliding it onto his member and returning to the bed.

Naoto spread her legs, giving him space to settle between them. Kanji grabbed his dick at its base and teased her opening a little. He took a deep breath, clearly nervous about what they were about to do. Naoto was nervous too, but, in that instant, she also wanted it more than anything. After one last breath, he finally entered her. He started slow and shallow, which she was grateful for as she felt a small stab of pain. But it passed quickly; the deeper he went, the better she felt, until he was finally all the way in.

“A-are you OK?” Kanji asked, his voice shaking from the adrenaline. She nodded and he nodded back, a silent agreement that they were ready to begin. Kanji shifted his hips back and drove into her. Naoto made a carnal noise that she didn't know she even was capable of making. Out of everything they had done that night, this feeling was by far the best. His cock filled her completely; it was a tight fit and she could feel every blow. Kanji began to pick up speed and each thrust was more powerful than the last. She could see beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead, but in spite of that the look on his face was one of pure euphoria. She could feel her muscles tighten again and her legs tingled. She wanted to tell him to pound her harder, to spur him on. But no words would come; the pleasure of Kanji making love to her stole the words from her lips. All she could manager were moans and gasps pleasure, and those were out of her control. It was as if they were dancing again; completely in-sync and fusing into one. All of a sudden, she felt as if she was at her apex. Her muscles fluttered and twitched all the way down to her feet.

“K-Kanj-ji!” Naoto sputtered, out of breath. It was all she could manage to squeeze out before devolving back to groans.

“N-Naoto, I-I!” Kanji didn't seem to fare much better, but she still caught his meaning. She pulled him down into one final kiss as he sped up once more. All at once her muscles convulsed and, with one last thrust, they came together. Naoto sighed deeply as a wave of pleasure washed over her body. Kanji collapsed on top of her; she could feel his heart pounding in his chest as she held him close. After a moment, he rolled over to lie next to her and they stayed there in silence for a long while, just breathing. At one point, Kanji left the bed, presumably to clean himself up. Naoto must've fallen asleep because she didn't remember him coming back.

* * *

 

Kanji shifted in his bed, flashes of the night before playing in his mind. He happily relived every moment, every feeling. And it wasn't even just that he had had sex for the first time; it was that he got to have it with Naoto and it was just as wonderful as he had imagined it would be. He couldn't wait for the moments after; he wanted to kiss her and hold her and just be with her for as long as she would let him. Wanting to start right away, Kanji rolled over to embrace her, but no one was there. He shot up and looked around. Naoto was gone; there was just a single sock left as proof that the night before wasn't a dream. His heart sank. He wondered if maybe he had done something wrong, that he screwed things up like he always did. With his happiness gone and a deep sigh, Kanji stood up to take a shower and start his day.

The next few days went by in a blur. Kanji was on autopilot; he woke up, went to school, went home, and went to bed. He hadn't seen or heard from Naoto since their night together, she had seemingly disappeared. He was avoiding the rest of his friends all together and the only reason he still attended school was that was a promise to himself that he had intended to keep. Deep down, Kanji wanted to look for her but he simply couldn't muster up the energy to do so. He wanted to know what he had done wrong. Did he somehow force himself on her? Was he reading all of her signals wrong? He couldn't imagine how that could be, but there had to have been something. That night had become the best and the worst night of his life, and it had left him feeling empty, like a shadow.

At the end of the week, Kanji was walking home from school when he heard someone calling his name. It sounded so distant and he didn't care to stop, so he ignored it and continued to shuffle down the street. The calling continued and got closer until someone behind him grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.

“Damn it Kanji, what the heck is wrong with you!?” Rise said, pulling him to face her, clearly upset.

“Oh, hey Rise,” he said, emotionless. Rise scowled.

“What is going on with you? You have been ignoring our texts, avoiding us at school...did we do something to make you mad?”

“What? No, no of course not.” Kanji reassured her, feeling a bad for making his friends think such a thing. “I've just been...going through a rough time.”

“Well, that's not when you stop seeing your friends, dummy! Can I help at all?” Kanji shook his head sadly.

“No. Not yet anyway. Maybe, after a little while but for now I need to work this out on my own.” Rise nodded, dropping the subject. But she still had a worry in her eyes. “Somethin' wrong?”

“Yeah, it's Naoto.” Kanji's heart dropped at the mention of her name. “We haven't seen her in days, none of us. She hadn't said she was going off on a case or anything. We were hoping you had seen her.”

“No, I haven't seen her since-” Kanji stopped short as he felt a pain of sadness erupt in his stomach. “About a week ago. I haven't seen her since then.”

“Oh no, I hope she's alright...” Rise looked worried.

“This _is_ Naoto we are talking about, remember.” Kanji tried to reassure her. “I am sure she just absentmindedly started chasing some lead and forgot to tell us.” He was lying; he had a feeling she was avoiding everyone just like he was. But the fact that nobody had seen her at all in a week did worry him a little. After promising to inform the group if he did hear from her, as well as promising he was OK as well, they went their separate ways. Despite the idea making his stomach turn with unease, Kanji decided to stop by her house, just to make sure she was safe.

Kanji knocked on Naoto's door and waited. After a few moments, Naoto's grandfather opened it. Kanji inquired about Naoto's whereabouts, but her grandfather just shook his head. She hadn't been home since the day after their night together, but he wasn't too worried yet since, just as Kanji had told Rise, Naoto sometimes gets a little too wrapped up in her cases. Kanji thanked him and left, feeling more worried than ever. This wasn't just her avoiding him and he was certain she wasn't just on some case. Something had happened to her and he was determined to find out what.

Kanji spent the rest of the evening searching Inaba. He went to every place he could think of, asked every person who might have seen her. He contacted the rest of the Investigation Team, making sure not to mention any specifics about the last time he had seen her. They even brought Yu-senpai into the loop on the off-chance that something had caused Naoto to head to Tokyo. It was late in the evening before Kanji returned home, tired from the day but too worried to sleep. He blamed himself; maybe whatever had made her mad at him caused her to lower her guard and get herself into trouble. Maybe it was that group of thugs they had fought that night, they could have overpowered her without him there. His restless mind led him to sitting at the table in his living room, staring at nothing in the darkness.

Kanji wasn't sure how much time had passed as he zoned out, his mind bouncing between trying to think of where Naoto might be and reliving moments of their night together. He took some comfort in the latter and soon his eyes grew heavy. Suddenly, a bright light and a loud static sound caused him to shoot awake. It was his TV; it was showing a familiar fuzzy snow. Kanji looked at the clock: midnight. Confused, he studied the screen carefully. In the static, he saw a figure he knew all to well; Naoto had somehow found her way back into the TV world. The image steadily be came clearer and Kanji was shocked to see what she was wearing. It was a lacy black number; the kind of thing women wear in magazines he's of course never read before.

“Hello out there,” she said, her voice dripping with seduction. “I have found myself opened up to a brand new world of pleasure...Would anyone care to join me?” She giggled and then pouted. “Well too bad! I have my sights on one hunk of meat already. I wonder if he is man-enough to handle wittle. Ole. Me.” She gave a wink and the screen faded to black. Without thinking, Kanji immediately dived head first into his TV screen, disappearing into it as if he was diving into a swimming pool, and leaving his living room empty once more.

After a few moments of familiar disorientation, Kanji landed with a hard thud. After a year of exploring this world, he would have assumed that he would be use to the fall or at least better at the landing. He rubbed his tailbone as he stood, surveying the area. A large building stood before him; it reminded him of the hotel they had stayed at during their trip to Tatsumi Port Island. Kanji's eyes widened as he remembered what his senpais had told him about that particular hotel and he rushed into the building without a second thought. Beyond the front door was a long hallway, the end of which he couldn't see from where he stood. Every few feet along either wall was a door, spanning the entire hall. Kanji took a deep breath before kicking in the first door on his right. Looking into the room, it seemed to be a small hotel room with a bed, nightstand, and even a tiny bathroom. And while he didn't find Naoto, he did find something else familiar: shadows.

“Shit!” Kanji cursed as the shadows attacked him. “Take-Mikazuchi!” In a sudden burst of light, Kanji's persona appeared, towering over him. He took out the shadows in one swipe and Kanji turned to the next door. It might be slow going, but Kanji was ready to knock down every door in order to find Naoto.

* * *

 

Naoto woke up, her head pounding. She couldn't tell where she was because her vision was fuzzy. What she _did_ know was that she couldn't move her arms. Something was tied around her wrists, binding them behind her back. Naoto blinked a few times, trying to clear her head and get her bearings. A sickeningly familiar chuckle snapped her out of her daze.

“No...” Naoto muttered under her breath. She didn't have any time to examine the room around her; all of her attention was on the person who stood before her. It was a woman in some sort of lacy lingerie; it was skimpy and black, and it was very uncomfortable for Naoto to look at because the person wearing it looked exactly like her, only with golden yellow eyes.

“Aw, what's wrong?” her shadow asked, pouting. “Don't like seeing yourself like this?” She did a small twirl, giving Naoto a full look, and giggled. “Well, you better get use to it. This is what he'll expect from you now. That...Kanji...” Her shadow shuttered with excitement.

“Stop it!” Naoto demanded, straining against her restraints.

“What!? Come now, don't pretend like you didn't notice!” Her shadow licked her lips seductively. “He really is something though. All those muscles...and then there's everything below the belt–”

“Shut up!” Naoto felt a wave of anger rise up within her, but she could already feel her strength waning. She was in the TV world, it was obvious now, and being without her persona was already taking it's toll. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to handle this alone; she was fairly certain that trying to handle things on her own was how she ended up back here in the first place. But it was too late now. All she could hope for was that her friends got here and fast, before things took a deadly turn for the worst.

* * *

 

“Of course it's the last God damn door in the God damn place!” Kanji growled, busting through into the largest room so far. He wasn't immediately attacked by shadows when he entered, so he took a look around. The room looked like another hotel room, only much larger. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, dousing the room in red hues. The walls were covered in mirrors of different sizes, placed seemingly randomly. There was a trail of large rose petals that lead from the door to a giant, heart-shaped bed covered in frilly pillows and silky sheets. Kanji's eye stopped as soon as he noticed someone tied to the bed.

“Naoto!” Kanji called, racing up to the bed.

“Kanji?” Naoto said, sounding groggy. She looked exhausted, but that was how people sometimes got in the TV world. Kanji made quick work of the knots around her wrists and pulled her into a hug.

“I'm...fine, Kanji. Really...” Naoto told him, pushing away. She wouldn't look him in the eye, but Kanji wasn't worried about that right now.

“What the hell happened? How did you end up here?”

“I...fell.” Naoto replied. “I started...hearing a voice while I was working late one night and all of a sudden a light came from the living room...”

“Let me guess: it was midnight.” Naoto nodded.

“It was a static picture, but someone was talking to me. I was curious, so I got closer to try and hear better, and then it felt like I was being pulled in. That's when I woke up here.”

“Well, let's get out of here.” Kanji said, holding out his hand. Naoto hesitated for a moment before taking it. “Once we're safe we can figure–”

“Ooooo, there you are! My man...” Kanji froze, the sudden voice sending a cold shiver down his spine. He knew that voice, though he wished he didn't. He turned to see Naoto's shadow standing by the far side of the bed, half naked and grinning. She was hard to look at, just about as hard as it was to look at his own shadow the first time, but for completely different reasons. He knew he was blushing and did his best to steel himself. This was no time for embarrassment; Naoto needed him. And it was helpful that he didn't like the way she was eyeing him. Kanji felt like a fat mouse being starred down by a hungry cat, ready to devour him.

“So, what do you think?” the shadow cooed. “This is what you wanted, isn't it.”

“What the hell are ya talkin' about!?” Kanji roared, his embarrassment replaced by anger.

“You've always wanted this, haven't you? Ever since the day we met. You wanted to to be with me...you got to be with me...This is always a man's end goal with a woman, isn't it?”

“Hell no! I care about Naoto! I want to spend time with her because she is smart and strong, and I consider myself lucky that she allowed me to be with her in that way. I can't say that I never thought about what it would be like...But I never, ever thought of it as a prize at the end of some game! And she knows that...right?” Kanji looked at Naoto, who was kneeling on the bed beside him. She still wouldn't look at him, looking down at the bed sheets instead. “Naoto?” Her shadow began to laugh.

“Of course, you weren't the only person involved, were you?” she said, turning her attention to Naoto. “You wanted it, just as bad as he did. You couldn't wait to lie with a man and you spread your legs for the first man that would be with you.”

“No,” Naoto sobbed.

“Do you deny it then?” her shadow asked, cackling. “Do you deny wishing for it? Wanting it? And, after you had him, do you deny wanting more? I know all of the dirty little thoughts you have had about this man, why not act upon them again like the whore you are!”

“Shut up damn it!” Kanji growled.

“N-no, I-I'm not...” Naoto muttered.

“Naoto, don't!”

“I'm not...That's not...” She couldn't finish the sentence but that must've been all her shadow needed to hear. She started laughing manically as energy started to flow around her.

“No, of course not! You're not me at all! But I bet you wish you were; oh the things I am going to do to your man...” Kanji knew what was coming next so he positioned Take-Mikazuchi near her. Suddenly, Naoto's shadow transformed. She looked less like Naoto and more like a demon, sporting wings, horns, and even a tail. She was still strikingly beautiful and wearing next to nothing, but Kanji was no longer phased by it. Her not sharing Naoto's face anymore made the battle much easier.

Naoto's shadow was fast; she was fast last time too. Unfortunately, Yu-senpai was the one who had slowed her down and ultimately beat her back then. But Kanji, being his ever optimistic self, knew he could beat anyone. He also knew that he didn't have much of a choice, since Yu-senpai wasn't here this time. Kanji did his best to channel his senpai and strategize. He knew his persona was slower, so he took up a defensive position, making sure he was between Naoto and her shadow at all times, and waited for an opening.

The shadow flew around the room, firing of blasts of dark energy. As Take-Mikazuchi took the hits, Kanji felt them but luckily they weren't too bad. With every opportunity, his persona took swings at her, hitting her on occasion. But the damage seemed minimal and left the shadow unphased. Kanji knew this wasn't how the shadow was going to be stopped, so he turned his attention back to Naoto.

“Naoto?”

“I-I am fine,” she told him. She was lying, of course, but he pressed on anyway.

“Will you tell me what the hell happened? How did your persona revert!?”

“I-I don't...” She truly looked at him for the first time since he had arrived. She looked scared and sad. If he was being honest, he was pretty sure he knew what the cause of all of this was. What he still didn't understand was why.

“OK, so this is probably has something to do with the fact that we -” Naoto nodded. “Alright, but why? How did that one night turn into _this_?” Naoto was silent. She clearly didn't want to tell him, but she had to if they wanted to get out of there alive. “Damn it Naoto, you know how this goes!” Kanji said, flinching as his persona continued to take multiple attacks. “You just have to accept whatever yer feeling and we can get the hell out of here!”

“I know, I just...” Naoto held her head, clearly in pain. Kanji wanted nothing more than to help her, but he knew she needed to work this out on her own. However, since he was heavily involved this time, maybe he could help her along. Kanji sighed.

“OK, let's work this out.” He knelt down and looked her in the eye. “Do you regret it?” Naoto was silent for a long time, considering.

“No, but I think that's the problem.” she finally said. “I feel like I should regret it. Every time I think about it, I think of a reason why I should: we're too young, we're not in a relationship, it just sort of happened without any prior discussion...But in spite of all of that, I still don't regret what happened.”

“So, is that a bad thing?”

“Maybe?” Naoto replied, choking up as the weight of everything started to hit her. “I just...does that make me...”

“What?” Kanji barked, aware of how harsh he was being but he was also starting to wear down from the attacks he was enduring.

“...a harlot?” Kanji looked at her, confused. She sighed. “A-a slut or a whore, you know? I always try to hold myself to a higher standard, but the fact that I succumbed to my more...primal urges so easily...”

“So is that all that night was to you then!?” Kanji asked, hurt by her words. “It was just a mistake? An accident that happened because I somehow woke some crazed, sexual monster inside of you!?” Naoto was taken aback by his outburst. He placed a hand on hers. “Naoto, I've liked you since the moment I met you. Even when I thought you were a dude, I knew I was starting to fall for you. All I ever wanted was to be with you and to someday tell you how I felt. So, even though this wasn't something I was specifically aiming for, I am happy that it happened. Getting to be so close to you, even for such a short amount of time, makes anything that happens after worth it. Even if we never do it again, even if you never want to see me again, I wouldn't trade that night for anything. B-because...because...” Kanji swallowed hard, his mouth dry and his heart pounding. “Because I love you, Naoto. And there is one thing that I need to know so that we can fix all of this crap: do you have feelings for me?”

“What!?” Naoto replied, shocked by his sudden confession and the bluntness of his question.

“Damn it, we don't have time to be shy about this shit anymore!” Kanji scolded her, groaning as he endured another attack. “Isn't there any way, any way at all, that the reason you succumbed to me wasn't because you are some sort of secret sexual deviant, but be cause you have feelings for me too?” Kanji cautiously waited for her response, knowing full well that her denial wouldn't only harm her, but break him as well. But Naoto's expression suddenly turned from sadness to her normal steely determination.

“I think you may be right.” she said, squeezing his hand. “I've been so caught up in what people might think of me and the supposed 'mistake' I've made. But here is what _I_ think: whenever I think about that night, it makes me...happy. I am so happy that I got to share something so intimate with you. And while we had yet to establish a romantic relationship with each other, where are the rules that say that we have to?” Naoto stood up and addressed her shadow, who had stopped fighting and started listening intently. “Yes, I had sex with Kanji and yes, I enjoyed it. That doesn't make me a whore, that makes me human. I also find him attractive, but not only just physically. I am attracted to his loving heart, his fierce loyalty, and his indomitable spirit. I don't know what will happen between us after this, but that's OK. As long as I can still call him my friend and he'll stand by my side, then I know everything will work out just fine. Because...” Naoto looked up at Kanji, who had also stood up, and gave him a warm smile. “Because, I think I may love you as well.” With that, the shadow erupted in a flash of light that engulfed her. Above her appeared a familiar small, blue figure; Sukuna-Hikona had returned to normal. Naoto fell to her knees, exhausted.

“Naoto!” Kanji said, leaning down to support her.

“I'm fine, really. I'm just tired.” Kanji helped her to her feet. He tried to support her as they attempted to walk out of the room, but he opted to carry her in his arms due to their height difference. She didn't seem to mind.

“Thank you...for coming to save me.”

“Of course! What did'ja think I was gonna do?”

“I don't know; I thought you might have been mad at me...”

“I'm not gonna lie to ya, I was a little mad at you for a while. I though I had done something wrong.”

“I am sorry about that. But, if it is any consolation, I thought I had done something wrong as well.”

“But, ya don't now?” Naoto shook her head. Kanji felt a buzz of excitement rise up in his chest. “So, d-do you really?”

“Really what?”

“Y-you know...do you really...l-love me?”

“I think it is entirely possible that I do.” she replied, almost smugly. “Is that OK?”

“Y-yeah, of course it's OK! But, does that mean...”

“I suppose it does.”

“Hell no! If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right!” Kanji stopped and set Naoto down on her feet gently. He bowed slightly. “N-Naoto! Would you please be my g-girlfriend!” He said it too loudly and Naoto laughed at him.

“Yes Kanji, I would love to be.”

“WHAAAAT!?” A chorus of voices had rung out from down the hall in front of them. Kanji looked up to see the entire rest of the Inaba Investigation Team standing there, shocked by the scene that they had just witnessed. Both Kanji and Naoto turned beat red; this was not the way they wanted to tell their friends about their relationship.

“Oh my God! You guys!” Rise squealed.

“What the heck is going on?” Chie-senpai asked.

“I-is he confessing!?” Yukiko-senpai chimed in.

“Kanji, dude, good on you but what the hell is wrong with your choice of location?” Yosuke-senpai added.

“Ooh! Is Kanji 'scoring' with Nao-chan?” Teddie asked.

“Shut it bear!” Kanji growled. “What the hell are you all doing here?”

“We came to look for you, Moronji!” Rise replied.

“We were all awake pretty late after searching for Naoto and that's when we saw the Midnight Channel.” Chie-senpai explained.

“We all planned on meeting in the usual spot the next morning, but when you didn't answer the text and didn't show up at Junes, we all knew that you were dumb enough to dive in by yourself.” Yosuke-senpai continued. “How were you planning on getting out of here again without Teddie anyway?”

“W-well...I hadn't thought that far ahead yet!” Kanji defended and the group all laughed at him.

“What even happened, Naoto?” Yukiko-senpai asked, changing the subject. “It was clearly you on the Midnight Channel. Did your shadow return?”

“Yes, well...” Naoto had trouble finding the right words. How were they supposed to explain what happened without telling them what _actually_ happened? “K-Kanji and I had gotten into a bit of a...fight. I was feeling particularly guilty about it and, well, one thing led to another and now here we are. It is all taken care of though.”

“Oh, so is that why you were acting so strange last week, Kanji?” Rise asked and he nodded. “Alright, but that still doesn't explain why your shadow created...this...” She gestured to the decor of the hallway and rooms. “Plus, your shadow was saying some really strange things...Wait a minute; what in the world were you fighting about? Kanji, you didn't...You two, you didn't-”

“Well now,” Naoto quickly interrupted before they could head down that line of questioning. “As much as I would like to talk about the my shadow, I am very tired after my ordeal and wish to go home, so Teddie, if you wouldn't mind?” Thankfully the group agreed to get Naoto home to recover and Teddie created his normal TV portal home. Rise continued to look on them knowingly as they said their goodbyes, leaving Naoto to rest in her bed. Kanji wanted nothing more than to stay and wait by her side, but he could feel Rise's eyes on him and he didn't want to make her more suspicious than she already was. He used him being tired himself to head home, promising to meet back up with everyone as soon as Naoto felt better. As he finally lied down into bed, his thoughts were filled with one thing: Naoto was officially his girlfriend and he couldn't be happier.

* * *

 

A few days passed before Naoto contacted the group saying she was up and about again. They all planned on meeting up at Junes on the next day everyone was free to do so. As soon as that day rolled around, Kanji made sure he headed out early. He wanted to make sure he would be the first person to see Naoto, so he decided to surprise her at her house. Her grandfather greeted him at the door and told him that Naoto was getting ready in her room. Kanji headed there, peaking in quietly as she was fussing with her hair before knocking softly on her door frame. She jumped slightly, startled, before turning around to see him.

“Oh!” she side, smiling a little. “Hello.”

“Hey.” Kanji replied, stepping fully into the room. She looked great; they had only been communicating via texts since she got back home and Kanji had missed her. “It's great to actually see you again. Are you sure you're feeling better?” Naoto nodded.

“I wouldn't have said I would meet with everyone if I wasn't. Everyone would have just rushed me back home otherwise.”

“Ya, probably.” They grew silent, neither sure what to talk about. After a few moments, Kanji decided to bring up the only thing that had been on his mind for days. “So, I just want to make sure since I know I can be super dense sometimes, but you're answer is still 'yes', right?” Naoto smiled at him sweetly.

“Yes, that's still my answer.” she replied, walking right up to him and pulling him down into a passionate kiss. As they finally pulled away from each other, both sighed happily.

“Now that _that's_ been established, what about if we ever want to...ya know...”

“Um...Oh!” Naoto blinked as she realized what he meant, her face getting hot at the idea of having sex with him again. “W-well, I suppose that would just have to be something we decide together. Whenever the time feels right.”

“And you're sure you're OK with it now? You're not going to run away again?” Naoto nodded.

“I'm sure. I love you, Kanji. And I know that it's something I want to do with the person I-” She was interrupted as Kanji pulled her up into another deep kiss. They were officially going to be late to their meeting, but neither cared as they quietly shut the bedroom door.

 


End file.
